Broken Promise

CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4: Unspoken Feelings

HANNAH POV

The campus library was quieter than usual, save for the occasional rustling of pages and soft whispers between students. I was seated at my usual spot by the tall glass window, my books spread out in front of me. The golden afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees outside, casting long shadows on the floor.

I was supposed to be reviewing for an upcoming exam, but my mind kept drifting—specifically, to the two people who had occupied too much of my thoughts lately.

Aiden and Jayden.

I sighed, tapping my pen against my notebook. I didn’t understand why things felt different between us lately. Maybe I was just imagining it, but the way Aiden and Jayden interacted with each other these past few weeks seemed… off. Their rivalry had always

been there, but now, it was sharper, heavier, as if they were fighting a battle I wasn’t aware of.

And then there was Jayden.

He had always been the more carefree one between the twins, teasing, playful, and annoyingly charming when he wanted to be. But lately, I felt like he was around me more often—offering to walk me to class, bringing me food when I forgot to eat, texting me late at night just to talk about random things.

I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“Hannah.”

I nearly jumped when I heard his voice, pulling me out of my thoughts. Speak of the devil.

Jayden slid into the seat across from me, dropping his bag on the table with a lazy grin. His dark brown hair was slightly tousled, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Caught you daydreaming again, sweetheart.”

I rolled my eyes. “I was thinking.”

“About me? I’m flattered.”

I scoffed. “In your dreams.”

He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “You wound me, really.”

I shook my head, biting back a smile. “What are you doing here? I thought you hated the library.”

Jayden sighed dramatically. “I do. But I figured if I’m going to suffer through studying, I might as well do it with good company.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you study?”

“Since I realized that failing means spending the whole weekend locked in with Aiden as my tutor.” He shuddered. “No thanks.”

I laughed. “He’s not that bad.”

Jayden smirked. “Says the girl who doesn’t have to live with him.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Aiden was brilliant, but he could be intense when it came to academics.

Jayden pulled out a notebook, flipping through the pages with a sigh. “Alright, tutor me, genius. Make sure I pass.”

I smiled, shaking my head as I moved my chair closer to him. “You’re lucky I like you.”

Jayden grinned. “I know.”

I started explaining the topic to him, pointing at his notes and breaking things down as simply as I could. Jayden, surprisingly, paid attention—well, for the most part. Every now and then, he’d make a comment just to distract me, but it was all in good fun.

At some point, he leaned in closer, his arm brushing against mine as he looked at my notes. “You’re really good at this, you know,” he murmured.

I glanced up, and for a moment, our eyes met. His usual playfulness was still there, but there was something else, something deeper.

I felt my heartbeat quicken.

I quickly looked away, clearing my throat. “Uh, thanks.”

Jayden didn’t move away. If anything, he seemed even more relaxed, like he belonged there—close to me.

“You know,” he started, voice softer, “we should do this more often. Just the two of us.”

I swallowed, my fingers tightening around my pen.

Just the two of us.

I wasn’t sure why those words made me nervous.

Before I could respond, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor made me look up.

Aiden.

He stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable, but something about the way his jaw tightened made my stomach twist.

His eyes flickered to where Jayden and I were sitting—too close, too comfortable.

I suddenly became painfully aware of the space, or lack thereof, between Jayden and me.

“Aiden,” I greeted, trying to sound normal. “What are you doing here?”

His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he answered. “Returning a book.” His voice was calm, controlled.

Jayden, completely unfazed, leaned back in his chair. “Wow, brother, didn’t think we’d see you outside of a lecture hall.”

Aiden ignored him, his attention still on me. “How’s studying going?”

I forced a smile. “Good. Jayden’s actually paying attention for once.”

Aiden hummed, glancing at his twin. “That’s a first.”

Jayden smirked. “Anything is possible when you have the right motivation.”

Aiden didn’t reply, but something in his expression shifted. He wasn’t looking at Jayden anymore. He was looking at me.

I felt my breath hitch.

The silence stretched between us, heavy with something I couldn’t quite name.

Then, as quickly as it came, Aiden turned away. “I’ll see you later,” he said, before walking off without another word.

I watched him leave, an uneasy feeling settling in my chest.

Jayden clicked his tongue. “Well, that was awkward.”

I sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on with him lately.”

Jayden studied me for a moment before shaking his head. “Forget about him. You’re here with me.”

His words were light, teasing, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had just stepped into something I wasn’t prepared for.

And for the first time, I wondered if I had been too blind to see what was right in front of me all along.

The library felt a little colder after Aiden left. Or maybe it was just me.

I stared at the spot where he had stood moments ago, his unreadable expression still lingering in my mind. There was something in his eyes—something I couldn’t quite place.

“Hannah,” Jayden’s voice pulled me back.

I turned to face him, forcing a small smile. “Hmm?”

His smirk had faded slightly, replaced by something softer. “You okay?”

I nodded, even though I wasn’t entirely sure I was.

Jayden watched me for a second longer before grinning again. “Don’t tell me you’re sad that Mr. Overachiever left.”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop it, Jayden.”

“What? I’m just saying, you’re spending time with me, and yet you seem distracted by my dear twin brother.” He leaned forward, smirking. “Should I be jealous?”

I scoffed. “You? Jealous? Highly unlikely.”

He placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. “Wow, sweetheart. That hurt.”

I shook my head, but my mind was still elsewhere.

I didn’t know why Aiden’s presence—or rather, his absence—was bothering me so much.

I tried to push the thought away and focused back on Jayden. “Alright, enough nonsense. Let’s get back to studying.”

Jayden groaned dramatically. “Ugh, fine.”

We continued reviewing for a while, but I could tell he wasn’t entirely paying attention. Every few minutes, he’d tap his pen against the table, yawn exaggeratedly, or dramatically stretch as if the burden of studying was too much for him to bear.

I sighed. “You’re impossible.”

Jayden smirked. “You love it.”

Before I could respond, my stomach growled loudly.

Jayden’s eyebrows shot up before he burst into laughter. “Wow. That was loud.”

I covered my face in embarrassment. “Shut up.”

He chuckled. “You didn’t eat lunch properly again, did you?”

I peeked at him through my fingers. “...Maybe.”

Jayden sighed, shaking his head. “Hannah, Hannah. What am I going to do with you?”

Before I could protest, he stood up and grabbed his bag. “Come on.”

I blinked. “Where?”

“To get food, obviously.”

I hesitated. “But we’re studying—”

Jayden raised an eyebrow. “And you think you can concentrate when your stomach sounds like it’s about to start protesting against you?”

I frowned. “You’re exaggerating.”

He grinned. “Maybe. But you’re coming with me anyway.”

Before I could argue, Jayden had already grabbed my wrist, gently pulling me up from my seat.

I sighed in defeat. “Fine.”

Jayden brought me to a small café near campus, one I’d been to a few times before but never really paid much attention to. It was

cozy, with warm lighting and the scent of freshly brewed coffee in the air.

We found a corner booth, and Jayden insisted on ordering for both of us. “Trust me,” he said before walking off to the counter.

I shook my head as I watched him go, a small smile tugging at my lips.

Jayden could be a pain sometimes, but moments like this reminded me why he was one of my closest friends.

A few minutes later, he returned with two plates of food—a sandwich for me and a slice of cake for himself.

“Here,” he said, sliding my plate over. “Eat up.”

I stared at the food. “You didn’t have to do this.”

Jayden shrugged. “I know. But I wanted to.”

Something in my chest tightened at his words.

I picked up the sandwich and took a small bite. My stomach immediately thanked me.

Jayden grinned. “Good?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Jayden.”

His smirk softened. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”

I felt my face warm, and I quickly focused on my food.

We ate in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds around us being the occasional clinking of utensils and the low hum of

conversations from the other customers.

Then, out of nowhere, Jayden spoke.

“You know,” he said, voice quieter than usual, “sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like if I had met you first.”

I froze, mid-bite. “What?”

Jayden leaned back in his seat, swirling the spoon in his coffee absentmindedly. “I mean, Aiden met you first. You were always closer to him when we were kids.”

I frowned. “That’s not true. I was close to both of you.”

Jayden chuckled, but there was something almost sad in his smile. “Yeah. But Aiden always had a head start, didn’t he?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but I didn’t know what to say.

Jayden tilted his head, watching me closely. “Do you ever wonder, Hannah? If things would be different?”

I swallowed, suddenly feeling like the air between us had shifted.

“Jayden, why are you asking this?” I whispered.

He gave me a lazy smile, but his eyes held something deeper—something real. “Just curious.”

I looked down at my plate, suddenly feeling like I had lost my appetite.

Did I ever wonder?

Before I could even process my thoughts, the café door opened, and someone familiar walked in.

Aiden.

I stiffened slightly as I saw him scanning the room, his expression unreadable. When his eyes landed on me and Jayden, his posture

went rigid.

Jayden, of course, noticed immediately.

His smirk widened as he leaned forward, propping his chin on his hand. “Well, well. Look who just walked in.”

I turned to face him. “Jayden, don’t.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What? I’m just saying. Seems like Aiden’s got a habit of showing up whenever we’re alone.”

I glared at him. “You’re being ridiculous.”

Jayden chuckled. “Am I?”

Aiden walked towards us, his steps slow and deliberate. When he reached our table, his gaze flickered between Jayden and me, his eyes lingering for a second too long on where our hands were resting on the table—too close, almost touching.

“Hannah,” Aiden said, his voice calm but with an edge I couldn’t quite place. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

I shifted in my seat. “Jayden dragged me here.”

Aiden’s jaw tightened, but he kept his expression neutral. “I see.”

Jayden leaned back, completely at ease. “Jealous, brother?”

Aiden’s eyes darkened slightly. “Should I be?”

The tension between them was so thick I could practically feel it pressing down on me.

I swallowed, looking between the two of them. “Guys—”

“I’m just saying,” Jayden interrupted, still smirking, “Hannah and I have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

Aiden didn’t respond immediately. He just stared at Jayden for a long moment before shifting his gaze to me.

“Hannah,” Aiden said, his voice quieter now. “Are you okay?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden gentleness in his tone. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Aiden’s eyes searched mine, as if looking for something—an answer I wasn’t even sure I had.

Then, just as quickly, he looked away. “Never mind.”

Jayden chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Right. Never mind.”

I felt like I was stuck between them again, but this time, the weight of their unspoken words was heavier than ever.

And for the first time, I wondered if this was only the beginning of something I wasn’t ready to face.